I won't leave
by Schizo Mania
Summary: It's been months after the fall of Meredith and most of Hawke's companions had left. Except one.  A/N: Apologies if non-canon. Only played the game once and accidentally hit ESC key during epilogue.


Sorry in advance if this is bad. I was really, really nervous about writing this cause I thought it wouldn't do the series justice, and that's really why I haven't written fanfics in a really long time.

Then I finished the game with Merrill (God, she's so cuuuuuute! [/fanboy]) as my love interest and just had to write an 'after everything' drabble/fic/vignette/whatever this short thing is, cause I thought the ending left it hanging. And also because I'm just a romantic at heart. XD

I might write more (All those interim years are just crying out to be fanficed), depending on reception. Not because I focus on reviews, but because I want to see how I am first. And yes, I'm a really big Merrill fanboy. It's like they took everything I like about women (Cute accent, big eyes, that sweet innocence, a bit too chatty when nervous) and placed it into my favorite fantasy species: Elves. Anyway, enough of my talking, on with the story, and enjoy!

**WwWwW**

Garrett Hawke stood in his new home, looking out the window at the rest of the village that rested along the hillside in front of him. Sighing, he looked around him, finding a chair and dragging it towards him so he could sit. He took the moment of solitude to muse over what had happened over the last few months. It hadn't been long since he had defeated Knight Commander Meredith in the Gallows Courtyard. And it also hadn't been long since most of his friends had left him, either by choice or by other reasons.

They had fled to the hills not long after the fight with Meredith, hoping to carve out new lives for themselves, and not wanting to be caught up in the escalating Templar-Mage war. For a moment, it seemed everything was perfect. Then, they started to leave. The first to go was Anders, followed shortly by Aveline. Garrett could understand why they left. The former because he wanted to fight the Templars due to his hatred for them, and the latter because of her duty as Guard Captain, and also because she wanted to make Anders pay for blowing up the Chantry in Kirkwall.

Isabela left shortly after. Garrett supposed he couldn't do anything to prevent it. The pirate was just too free-spirited to ever set roots in one place, and also he supposed Isabela missed the high seas. At the thought of that, he silently offered a prayer for her safety, whether she was still adventuring or had managed to acquire a ship once more and was back to her piratical ways.

A month after that, Fenris decided to leave. Garrett still didn't know why, but he guessed that the mage-hating elf had gone off to fight in the war on the side of the Templars. That, or the recently freed slave wanted to do something with his freedom and explore the world. Garrett doubted it was the latter. Still, he hoped Fenris was doing well no matter where he was. The elf had been a good friend and better brother-in-arms.

The departures Garrett took the hardest were his sister's and Varric's. The former had left to rejoin the Grey Wardens, partially because the Wardens had found her. With little choice, Bethany reluctantly went back to the Wardens. Garrett was just thankful they had given her a chance to say goodbye. She said that they would meet again. As much as he wanted to believe it, Garrett doubted that would happen. It still hurt him to think about it. She was just about the last of his immediate family and she was gone.

He closed his eyes slightly and cleared his thoughts. He made it a point to recall every departure until they stopped hurting. That would mean he had gotten over it and was ready to start his life anew. He wanted nothing to do with being the 'Champion of Kirkwall' or anything. He just wanted to be Garrett Hawke.

Varric returned to Kirkwall soon after, but not before they and Merrill had some time to say their goodbyes in a tavern. Garrett was pained at watching one of his oldest friends go, but knew that it was inevitable. Kirkwall would always be home to the dwarf, particularly The Hanged Man. Garrett guessed that he was probably telling someone their story at that moment.

That left just him and Merrill. The two lovers of nearly a decade stayed together in a rather well-off home in the village. People found it odd that a Dalish Elf and a human were in a relationship, but Garrett's reputation as the 'Champion of Kirkwall' still held some weight in the village and few people questioned them. Suddenly, he heard the door open and someone walk in.

"I'm home," A familiar voice said and Garrett was thankful for the company. Merrill saw Hawke leaning forward, staring out the window and immediately knew what he was doing. "Garrett..." She began and walked towards him.

"Welcome back, Merrill, did you have a nice walk?" The human asked and turned to face her with a smile on his face. After all those years, he still found the Dalish Elf to be stunningly beautiful and attractive. He stood up and returned the chair to it's original position, in front of a small wooden table.

"Yes I did, thanks for asking," She replied, then said, "Were you thinking of...The others?"

Garrett sighed. He had been downplaying how much it had hurt him to watch his friends leave him as he didn't want to worry Merrill, but now, he decided that he had to tell someone before it finally drove him crazy. "Yes, I was," He replied reluctantly and averted his eyes. "It's just...I'm still not over it, you know?"

"I understand," Merrill replied and placed her staff leaning against a wall. "I still miss them."

Garrett nodded in agreement. He wanted to bring up some old memories to discuss, but he guessed that would be quite painful for the both of them and discarded that idea. "I hope we'll meet them again. I wish I could say I missed Bethany the most, but...I miss them all equally. They were more or less family."

"I feel the same. Even for Fenris." Merrill replied with a small smile, recalling the many arguments and banter between her and the strongly anti-mage elf. She had hated them before, but now that Fenris was no longer around, she found that strangely enough, she missed them. Perhaps he was like the annoying brother she never had.

"But most of all..." Garrett began and shifted uncomfortably. This had been something that had been on his mind for a long time, even sometimes giving him nightmares. "I fear that one day you will leave me as well." He said in a low voice, sounding quite ashamed. He hoped that Merrill wouldn't take that as him doubting her love for him. Garrett knew how much she loved him and loved her back all the same, it was just something his paranoia had thought up of.

"By the Dread Wolf!" Merrill exclaimed and quickly walked closer to him. "Garrett, of course I wouldn't! I love you and would never dream of leaving you!" Hawke had half-expected the reaction, and he was thankful that Merrill didn't fall short of his expectations. Just the words themselves made him feel so much better.

The human smiled. "I know you won't...It's just something that's been plaguing my dreams for sometime. It's stupid, I'll admit that." Suddenly, Merrill threw herself towards him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling his chest. "I-" Garrett began, then smiled as he hugged her back and rested his head on hers. "Thank you, Merrill."

"I'll never leave you, Garrett Hawke," She said and enjoyed the feel of being held in the arms of the human. It made her feel safe and secure, as if everything was alright. "I love you, and will always be with you." She looked up at him just as Garrett looked down at her. Their eyes met and subconsciously, they moved closer until they lips touched in a passionate kiss.

At that point, Garrett threw whatever fears he had out the window. He momentarily forgot about the escalating tensions between the Templars and Mages, he just savored the moment he had with his dear Merrill.

At that exact moment, all was right in the world.

END

I know, it's kind of bad, but I still want to put this up to show that I'm not dead on this site. Reviews would be welcome, flames, not so much, but if you have to, go ahead, I'm a mocker so I guess I'll take what I dish out. Oh, and if I could play Hawke as a softy hidden under a protective layer of toughness, I would definitely play him that way. XD

~Schizo


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